A Reunion of Fists and Lies

Of course, it wasn't him. They had actually targeted someone else entirely and posted about it in a fit of delusion! The assassin players had been melted by the Mage NPCs' attacks before they could even escape the Magic Tower, leaving them with no way to properly verify who they had actually killed. That was how this massive misunderstanding had come about... but the players had absolutely no reason to be so understanding.

The community boards instantly erupted into a frenzy. Some of the Mage players on-site had already started livestreaming Tae-hyun's sudden appearance.

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"I express my gratitude to the Archmages gathered here today for this glorious occasion," Chesia said, adopting a reasonably polite tone. The Archmages of the Pyromancy, Cryomancy, and Electromancy schools... each of the respective elemental schools stared back at Chesia with looks of indifference, curiosity, or deep suspicion.

"Cut the insincere flattery, Chesia."

"Indeed. We already know you're not that kind of person."

"To think the fellow who slanders other schools daily would say such a thing..."

A vein throbbed on Chesia's forehead at the other Archmages' barbs. The schools of the Magic Tower bickered and attacked each other at every opportunity! Just because they belonged to the same tower didn't mean they got along.

"Ahem! At any rate, I am here today to introduce a certain black mage. I'm not just speaking highly of him because he's a fellow black mage; he is a wizard of unbelievable talent and wisdom. And that's not all. His reputation is also incredibly high. He has even resolved major crises across the continent..."

"A black mage?"

"Really?"

"That's absurd. What is his name?"

"Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The Archmages wore complicated expressions. Had Tae-hyun visited back when his Reputation was higher than his Infamy, they would have thought, What?! Count Kim Tae-hyun joined the Black Magic School? Has something gone wrong, or did Chesia use some wicked spell on him? However, Tae-hyun's Reputation was currently lower than his Infamy. Consequently, the Archmages' reactions leaned more toward: Well, if it's Count Kim Tae-hyun, he certainly fits the Black Magic School,I heard rumors that he's a murderous Count... and He may have led the Archisus Church to defeat the Sadiq Church, but he's a cunning, untrustworthy hero...

Sensing their reactions, Chesia flared up and shouted, "What's with those faces?!"

"Well, it's just that Count Kim Tae-hyun... is a hero, but..."

"If you have something to say, spit it out! Count Kim Tae-hyun may be misunderstood, but his heart is that of a true hero! Have any of you fought against that wicked, filthy Sadiq Church?!"

Chesia was now defending Tae-hyun with absolute zeal. It was enough to make even Tae-hyun feel a bit uneasy. What is this guy going to do if things go south later? Why is he going this far?

"No, we're not saying he isn't a hero... just that he fits right in!"

"Exactly! He fits perfectly!"

"..."

Strangely, hearing that someone "fit right in" with the Black Magic School sounded like an insult. Knowing this all too well, Chesia could only swallow his anger.

"In any case, I shall now show you. A talent of immense caliber, the likes of which no other school has produced, and who possesses incredible genius without even being trained in the Magic Tower!"

Along with his words, the quest window popped up. Tae-hyun felt a slight wave of tension as he stepped forward. The quest window made it blatantly obvious that he would be utterly screwed if he failed!

"But what exactly are you going to show us?"

"Indeed. There isn't even a corpse here."

The other Archmages asked, looking puzzled.

Black magic was generally categorized into a few types: destructive offensive spells like Dark Arrow; various curse spells that could be cast quickly, were difficult to evade, and inflicted status ailments; and summoning magic that conjured undead or demons. Among these, summoning undead carried heavy penalties if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there were no corpses available.

"Prepare to be amazed. This Count Kim Tae-hyun actually shattered the testing stone with a mere Dark Arrow!"

"..."

Silence suddenly fell over the room. The watching players also tilted their heads in confusion. Why is everyone reacting like that?

"Chesia... no matter how desperate you are, you shouldn't tell such blatant lies..."

"Exactly. How could anyone shatter that testing stone with a Dark Arrow?"

The atmosphere was thick with disbelief. Chesia looked ready to grab them by the collars.

"You—you underhanded bastards...! Do I need to bring you the shattered pieces of the stone to prove it?!"

"What good is bringing a stone that's already broken? Fine, fine. We'll 'believe' you."

"Your faces don't look believing at all!"

Tae-hyun cut in, interrupting the bickering.

"It is the truth."

"!?"

"I can swear to it on my honor."

"Mmm..."

As a result, the Archmages couldn't outright dismiss his claim and instead stared at Tae-hyun with half-believing, half-doubting faces.

"Is it truly the case? Then can you demonstrate it again here?"

"I could, but wasting another testing stone seems like a pity, and I would also find it regrettable if you thought my abilities were limited solely to destruction. This time, I shall show you something else."

"Something else?"

"Yes—summoning magic!"

The Archmages had no idea. They could never have imagined that some lunatic would use this sacred evaluation to summon a demon he had a personal grudge against just to start a brawl!

"Summoning... magic? Not undead, so a demon?"

"Yes! As expected of your great wisdom."

Tae-hyun replied with a polite demeanor to the Archmage of the Pyromancy School.

"What is there to show with a demon summoning..."

"It relies heavily on luck, too."

"Demon summoning is weak. Even summoning an elite Death Knight wouldn't satisfy us, so why a demon? Are you planning to drag out some Lesser Demon?"

"Of course not."

"Then what kind of demon do you intend to summon?"

"Allow me to ask you in return. What level of demon would it take to satisfy you?"

At Tae-hyun's question, the Archmages looked slightly troubled.

"Well... shouldn't it at least be a demon that leads the legion of an entire floor?"

"Even that is a bit on the weaker side."

"Understood. I see your point."

Tae-hyun cheered inwardly. Since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they were the ones who demanded a stronger demon, it didn't matter what showed up now!

"Thank you, Archmages. I shall begin the summoning ritual. Once this ritual is complete, a terrifying demon will appear!"

Tae-hyun himself felt a tiny bit of apprehension. With his current Wisdom stat, what kind of demon would be summoned? Would it be a demon like Galgral, whom he had defeated before—the right-hand man of a floor master? Or would it be some completely unknown demon?

But considering Archisus's social circle, the chances of the summoned demon liking me are practically zero. Archisus was hated by gods, angels, demons, and dragons alike! He was a god who had meticulously accumulated grudges from every corner of existence. It was honestly impressive!

If a demon with a grudge against me is summoned... I can just use the Archmages' strength to take it down. If I'm lucky, I might even snag its weapon! Tae-hyun was currently progressing through the quest to free the sealed demon, Esla. The weapons he had gathered so far belonged to Galgral and Edaor. If he could obtain just one more here...!

"Demon Summoning!"

Fwaaaaash!

A purple magic circle drew itself in front of Tae-hyun, and thick smoke began to billow out.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

-Master, something feels terribly wrong about this...! Heuk-heuk shrieked from within. Being a Black Dragon, he was highly sensitive to the ominous energy of black magic like demon summoning.

"What is it? What's being summoned?"

"No idea... looks like Kim Tae-hyun is summoning something..."

"Is it another dragon?!"

"He literally said demon summoning, you idiot!"

The players also realized something was off. The visual effects were far too extravagant for a standard demon summoning spell! The area around the magic circle was already completely obscured by dense, sulfurous smoke.

-Found you... you... rat-like bastard of Archisus...! I have been waiting for you to call upon me! Are you ready to die?!

Fwoooooosh!

The smoke cleared, revealing the form of a demon that looked somewhat familiar.

The demon who had ambitiously plotted, deceived adventurers, and lurked as the governor of the arena, intending to plunge the continent into chaos! The very demon who had trusted Tae-hyun, only to be impaled by Archisus's bamboo spear—no, holy relic—and sent straight back to the Demon Realm!

"...Why did it have to be you?!" Tae-hyun grumbled in frustration. Edaor was a demon who wouldn't even drop a weapon if defeated! After all, Tae-hyun already possessed Edaor's signature weapon.

-Tremble in fear, you rat-like bastard of Archisus... Huh?

Appearing bare-fisted without his greatsword, Edaor looked around. There were far too many wizard-looking fellows surrounding him. Furthermore, several of them possessed extraordinary magic power.

-...Wait a minute...

"Edaor! What a timely reunion. Last time, I defeated you when you tried to plunge the continent into chaos! This time, I shall defeat you once more and force you to submit! In the name of Archisus!"

Tae-hyun was deliberately choosing words guaranteed to make Edaor's blood boil!

-Have you... lured me into a trap?

Tae-hyun did not answer. He knew all too well that silence was the best way to infuriate an opponent.

"Let us defeat this demon! He was once forcibly unsummoned from the continent, so his wounds must not have fully healed yet!"

-You absolute rat!

Boiling with rage, Edaor lunged toward Tae-hyun. However, Tae-hyun had already swiftly backed away—and, in the most irritating manner possible, slipped right behind the Archmages.

"What do you think, Archmages! Have you seen the demon I summoned?"

"No, wait... why on earth would you summon a demon you have a personal grudge against during an evaluation?!"

"Pardon? Didn't you Archmages tell me to summon a powerful demon? I originally intended to summon a weaker one, but because you insisted, I had no choice but to summon Edaor! Isn't that right, Lord Chesia?"

"U-Uh? Yes, indeed!"

Chesia, who had been staring at Edaor in bewilderment, nodded quickly when Tae-hyun called on him. Though Chesia had never expected Tae-hyun to pull such a stunt, now that the deed was done, he had no choice. No matter what, he had to back Tae-hyun up!

"Exactly! Count Kim Tae-hyun originally intended to summon a much safer, easier-to-manage demon...! You shouldn't have provoked Count Kim Tae-hyun in the first place. He is not a man to be trifled with!"